Zohran vs Geordin — Two sons of Cape Town, two very different mayors

Geordin Hill-Lewis and Zohran Mamdani are two young mayors from New York City and Cape Town respectively, who are facing similar challenges in their respective cities. Both mayors are young, having attended schools in Cape Town, and are both mayors of major cities that are economic powerhouses and popular tourist destinations. However, they differ significantly in terms of their approach to housing, use of city land, rent stabilisation, and transportation.

Mamdani's "block by block" proposal includes a $22-billion investment in affordable housing, with a commitment to building 200,000 affordable homes and preserving 200,000 more over the next decade. On the other hand, Hill-Lewis's administration has not been effective in implementing an inclusionary housing policy, which has resulted in developers not building affordable units in new builds.

Mamdani's administration has also launched the Affordable Housing Authority, which uses faster delivery models such as design-build contracting to speed up the construction process. In contrast, Hill-Lewis's administration has sidelined the Western Cape's inclusionary housing policy.

Rent stabilisation is another area where the two mayors differ significantly. Mamdani promised to freeze rents in New York City, which was recently achieved by the Rent Guidelines Board. However, Hill-Lewis has stated a firm opposition to rent control, arguing that it disincentivises landlords from maintaining buildings. The Constitutional Court has also ruled against Hill-Lewis's administration on rent stabilisation, highlighting the legacy of spatial injustice in Cape Town.